After a long and cold winter, America’s favorite pastime returns. The sounds, smells, and traditions of baseball are back. After an offseason full of trades, changes, and constant chatter, the 2013 MLB season begins with unmatched anticipation and excitement. As someone who is as excited as fans all around the nation and all around the world, I’m eager to predict how I think the 2013 season will play out. I’ll go through each of baseball’s divisions and leagues and pick the teams I believe will come out on top. Finally, no prediction would be complete without picking out the winners of baseball’s most prestigious awards.

National League East

1. Washington Nationals
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. New York Mets
5. Miami Marlins

In something of a repeat of last season, the Washington Nationals are the clear favorite to win the NL East. With a pitching staff led by young superstar Stephen Strasburg and an offense guided by growing star Bryce Harper, the Nationals have a rather easy road to a second straight division title. The Braves, however, will secure one of the wild card spots and make the playoffs alongside their division rivals.

National League Central

1. Cincinnati Reds
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Pittsburg Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs

The St. Louis Cardinals last season benefitted from last year’s newly expanded playoff system, which now allows for two wild card teams instead of just one. The Cardinals, however, won’t see the same results this go around, lacking the all-around talent of division rival Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Reds, led by stars such as first baseman Joey Votto, second baseman Brandon Phillips, and relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman, are well equipped to make another division title run. The road to playoff baseball for the Reds is tough, especially considering they share a division with a rising team in the Pittsburgh Pirates, and a serious threat in the St. Louis Cardinals. In end, however, the Reds, as said earlier, simply have the best talent in their division. It is that talent that will carry them to a second straight division title.

National League West

1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

This division is a real tough one. On one hand you have a revamped Dodgers team, adding top free agent pitcher Zack Greinke, as well as having key players back such as Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Either, and Matt Kemp, one of the league’s best players. On the other hand, you have the defending World Series champions in the San Francisco Giants. In my mind, the Giants’ superb pitching outweighs their inferior offense, which is my why I believe they will repeat as division champions. The Dodgers will also secure one of the NL’s two wild card spots.

American League East

1. Toronto Blue Jays
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. New York Yankees
5. Boston Red Sox

Since the Yankees last championship in 2009, the AL East has gone under some big changes. The Red Sox lately been mediocre at best, making a terrible decision in hiring Bobby Valentine as a manager last year, undergoing one of baseball’s worst’s late season slums back in 2011, and losing the division after leading for a majority of the season. So, in 2013, the Blue Jays are primed to make a division title run; they are armed with new players, a new manager, and baseball’s best slugger, Jose Bautista. The Tampa Rays, led by defending Cy Young Award winner David Price, will capture one of two Wild Card spots, making the AL East a division to keep an eye throughout the season.

American League Central

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Minnesota Twins

The road back to the World Series for the Detroit Tigers may be even easier than last year. With two MVP’s in pitcher Justin Verlander and first baseman Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers are primed to make another run to the Fall Classic. If the Tigers get important production from newcomer Torii Hunter and returning catcher Victor Martinez, the Tigers have another World Series in their sight.

American League West

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros

The AL West is one of baseball’s most interesting divisions, with the possibility of three teams making the playoffs. First, the Angels have spent a fortune these past two years courting Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton to Los Angeles. In addition to these two sluggers, the Angels have two top-notch pitchers in Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, along with baseball’s most promising player, Mike Trout, who could be a cinch for AL MVP if he can add to his stellar year last year. The AL West becomes increasingly interesting when you take into account both the Athletics and the Rangers, as both of them can make the playoffs as wild cards. Both teams, if their pitching holds up and their best players produce at the plate while role players step up, then I believe they both have a shot. In the end, however, I believe the Rangers capture one of the Wild Card spots, while the Athletics miss out in 2013.

World Series: Detroit Tigers vs. Washington Nationals; Nationals win in 6 games.

In the end, the Nationals are the best top-to-bottom team in baseball, with young stars both at the plate and on the mound. The only team who match up with them is the Detroit Tigers, who, in my mind, will lose in the World Series for a second straight year, even while having baseball’s best pitcher and hitter. The Nationals, however, are a better all-around team, which is why I’m picking them to win the Fall Classic in 2013.

National League Awards

NL Rookie of the Year: Shelby Miller

NL Manager of the Year: Don Mattingly

NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg

NL MVP: Joey Votto

American League Awards

AL Rookie of the Year: Aaron Hicks

AL Manager of the Year: John Gibbons

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander

AL MVP: Mike Trout